


Talk

by handelgamer



Series: Shaded - XIVWrite2019 [29]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M, Hangover, Sexual allusions, and I'm not just talking about the writing quality, this is messy and painful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-08 03:41:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20828804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/handelgamer/pseuds/handelgamer
Summary: The morning after celebrations and Elly and Thancred need to have a talk about things spoken.





	Talk

Ugh. Elly’s head hurt. Too much to drink the night before. She helped to save the world again and thus party. Thankfully, she felt no body next to hers. She said a quiet prayer of thanks for that one.

There was a note on her bedstand! She bolted straight up. Thal’s balls, maybe she did take a man to bed.

_Elly_

_ I wonder how much you remember of last night._

Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiite. This was sounding bad already.

_You kinda had a breakdown after many drinks, saying that I was a bastard who was never around. Moaned about just when you managed to find me, well, I at least stopped you from mentioning that G’raha teleported us here._

...gods this was worse. There goes Elly’s reputation with the people of the Crystarium. And she was beginning to figure out who  wrote this.

_So I volunteered to take you to bed. And then had the glares of everyone in the Wandering Stairs for my poor wording. Just envision Y’sthola glaring at you and that might cheer you up. Anyway, the Washi sisters took you to your room and I just offered to leave you a note. Whenever you are ready for breakfast, come meet me._

_ \- Thancred_

Okay, only half as embarrassing as a night that Thancred evidently had. That was at least somewhat welcome. Time to ignore the splitting headache and to see if he’s actually sticking around somewhere.

–

“Oh hey, you’re finally up!” Mariko said, spotting Elly walking out of the Pendants.

“How bad was I last night?” Elly asked.

“Clingy to Thancred. Like holding his arm all night. I think there was moaning about not wanting him to slip out of your grasp again.”

“GODS!” She felt her face go beat red.

Mariko gave a sly grin. “And here I thought you were getting over him.”

“I thought I was! Balls!”

She heard him laughing at her swearing. Damn you! Quit enjoying this too much! “Anyway, he’s been waiting in the Wandering Stairs for you,” Mariko said, grinning, pointing over to the bar.

She gave him a dark look as she headed on up. Sure enough, there he was, sitting patiently. He gave a small smile at her and waved her over. Gods strike her down now. She sat down, her face still red. “I was horrid last night, wasn’t I? I should stop drinking like that. What in the gods did I say to you?”

“Well I was going to ask what did you remember from last night. I guess the answer is, not much.” Thancred said.

She moaned and slumped over on the table. “I don’t even have a real good excuse this time. Other than ‘Hey! It’s a festive time! Drink until you forget everything!’” She moaned again. She then heard the thunk of a glass being put on the table. She looked up to see a tall glass of water.

“Nothing beats a hangover more than a drink and a good meal,” Cyella said. Elly just turned her head to the side and stared at her. She was undeterred. “An order of sausages and eggs?”

“Sure.” Elly said, half-mumbling, moving her face back to rest against the table. Thankfully Cyella said nothing more as she headed back over to the bar.

Thancred chuckled at Elly’s antics. “Oh come now, it wasn’t that bad. I’ve heard worse professions and declarations before.”

Declarations?! She sat straight up at that. “Wait, did I say that I...well..._liked _you?”

“Well, not like that. You were acting a lot more like uh...many women who’s hearts I’ve broken before,” He said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

“Great.” Elly said, this time slumping against the chair. “The perfect image for people to have of a hero.”

Thancred tilted his head. “I thought you weren’t too terribly concerned about that?”

“No it’s more that...I thought I was over you. You have different things going on than I do. You’ve got Ryne to look after and I have to well, find myself I guess?” She shrugged. “I still can’t even think of where I want to even be after...well, there’s the thing. I still can’t think of any after being the hero.”

“There might not ever be an ‘after’ Elly,” Thancred said with all seriousness. She stared at him with shock, and he smiled at that. “Life tends to keep continuing on and on and we just have to take what we can get.”

A steaming plate of eggs and sausages was suddenly placed in front of Elly. “Anything else?” Cyella asked, cheerfully.

“No thank you,” Elly replied, wondering if the former adventurer was listening in. She cut into her sausage first.

“You know, if I had actually drank last night...I might have joined you last night.”

Elly quickly put up her hand to her mouth, making sure she didn’t accidentally cough her sausage out. Well, it wouldn’t have been the first time the two took a tumble together but she just had a sudden thought with that statement. “What about Ryne?”

He looked confused at that. “What do you mean?”

“One, aren’t you like, sort of a father to her now? You need to be more responsible and like focus on her! Hells! Why aren’t you with her right now?!”

“She wanted to keep an eye on Syngigeim. Besides which, she wants me to at least work on things with you.”

“Did you tell her what I said to you before? That...I thought we were going in different paths and that while I cared, I didn’t know about any relationship?”

He nodded. “Yes, but remember, you were kinda...despondent last night. Scared that I was going to vanish on you again, I think was about what you said.”

She quickly shoved more pieces of egg white in her face. So those thoughts were what she said while drunk. It was less sadness and more anger. Anger that she could never find him after the Liberation of Ala Mhigo, right when she was done. Right when she could have talked and actually maybe started something stronger with him. The most she got was one night together before he ran off to be a spy in Garlemald. And refused her help, because she was a bloody famous Warrior of Light in the Source.

Elly poked at the yolk of the egg. Did she say anything about Minfilia? That...wait. The man was right in front of her. And wanting to sort things out. She gulped and steeled her nerves. “Did I say anything bad about Ryne? Or Minfilia?” she said softly. Elly was scared of this answer.

Thancred sighed softly at that. “You might have mentioned something about how you were never anyone’s most important person. That no one looked out for you and you alone.”

Crap, shit and fuck. “I am sorry of saying that. Really. And gods, I’ll need to find Ryne and-” She said bolting from the table but Thancred managed to grab her arm, stopping her.

“You didn’t say anything about Ryne or Minfilia.”

“But it’s what I meant. I’m jealous. And I know I shouldn’t be. They’re important to you and I always secretly felt jealous that you seemed to care more about them than anyone else.”

He held tighter onto her arm. “A lot more of your ranting was about how you didn’t feel like you deserved to be celebrating. That your contribution was nothing compared to the Warrior of Darkness. And let me tell you that that’s wrong.”

She gave a short huff and tried wriggling out of his grasp. “We all know that Syngigeim is the real hero here. I just, we all in Wanderer’s League tend to tag along. Hells, I only fought two Wardens! And I could only watch as her soul fractured and break! I couldn’t even fight Emet-Selch and that’s what we’re supposed to be good at! What purpose do I have here?!” she yelled, slipping out of his grasp...and into the table right next to her. Her arm slid across the top, as the side of the table jammed into her side. Worse, her feet slid out from underneath her and she had to cling onto the tabletop in order to attempt to stay up.

Elly felt Thancred help pick her up and onto her feet. “No. You weren’t useless here.”

“Ha. I’m one of many people who can fight.”

“Really Elly? Are we really doing this? No. Not everyone can fight as well or as skillfully as you. And I’m sick of you tearing yourself down like that!”

Elly stared at him. She wanted so badly to say _No! I’m within a group of people who are all skilled as I!_ But he would ignore that. Instead she sat back down in front of her breakfast, stabbing her fork into a piece of sausage a bit more forcefully.

Thancred sat down across from her, his expression serious. “You know, you said you and I were going on different paths, but you never allowed me to speak. I, for one, have always loved the light and life you are. Your energy, your determination. And for the longest time, I tried not to get too attached because yes, as it turns out, I too, have a bad habit of pushing away those who care for me. Focusing on the next duty and what I needed to do, pushing feelings aside. Well, now let me say this. I will respect your feelings if they are different than mine but I for one, love you.”

“Now you say that?! Now after I gave up? Cut my losses?!” She said, slamming her hands on the table. Which hurt more than she was going to let on.

“You have every right to be mad at me for that. And trust me, it took me a long while to realize what exactly I felt towards you. And if your passions have cooled and you now can’t stand me, that’s fair.”

She sat back down in her chair. “Again...I ask, aren’t you now a father?”

“I-”

“No,” she said, raising her hand. “Listen to me. You trying to do right by Ryne. That, is the big difference between us. You are ready to take care of someone and guide her. And if there is anything I have thought of, it’s that I’m not ready for anything like that. Not yet. Maybe not ever. My answer is the same as it was on the sands. I care for you. Would like to spend nights with you. But...you will always have another obligation. Another duty. I think we both will.”

Thancred inhaled a deep breath. “I can accept that. I won’t press further.”

Elly nodded. “Thank you.” And quickly ate up the rest of her food and waved down Cyella to pay the bill.

“I’ll handle that. I asked for you anyway.”

She would have fought but any anger she had was long dissipated.

Slightly outside the Wandering Stairs, on the steps around it, was Ryne and Mariko. Ryne looked disappointed and sad after hearing Elly and Thancred’s fight. “Sometimes things don’t work out like you hope they would,” Mariko said. “She was evidently angrier at Thancred than I thought.”

“I might have figured...but I kinda held onto that foolish hope I guess, that everything could work out,” Ryne said glumly.

“Love’s kinda hard to control and fickle like that. Trust me on that regard. Take absolute care of yourself and your heart.” Mariko said, grabbing her shoulder and squeezing it. She at least nodded at that. But there a familiar look in her eyes, one of stubbornness. This wasn’t over yet, but he sure hoped that Ryne would not hurt herself too much in the process. He’d seen enough of that.

**Author's Note:**

> -throws hands up in the air- I tried my best! I tried my best but Elly says no! Differences too big!
> 
> Shadowbringers patches, give me things to work with here! Don't make the Ryne of my imagining do all the work!


End file.
